Steel Evolution
by The Oblivion Overlord
Summary: Haruyuki, a young boy with a tactical mind. Suddenly has a nightmare he couldn't figure out the reason for. Though the only words he could remember from the dream were two words. ADAPT and EVOLVE, now you would think those were strange words to remember in a nightmare. But that changes when he gets into a game he never heard off... and who said RTS thinking doesn't help you fight?


**Ayayayayaaaaaa! Is me The Oblivion Overlord!**

 **This is another thing I desperately need to expel from my head, its been sitting there taking too much space in the first place.**

 **Steel Evolution is one of the stories that was in the poll war before with ALO-God of Undeath and lost. I'm bringing Steel Evolution, as well as Rise of the Golden King along with a few others with chapters for other stories mixed in with the updates, you can count on that.**

 **Now, this is an Accel World fanfic. I'll have to say Arita Haruyuki, now don't get me wrong, the plump little guy is adorable. But I changed him into a normal looking guy… Ok I lied, I gave him an entirely different body and personality, well the personality didn't stray far from the original but yeah. I'll talk more about his appearance in this prologue.**

 **This prologue will start with the nightmare that will hopefully shed some light and hints as to what will be Haru's new form. Silver Crow is nice and all, but I'd like it to have a bit more uniqueness and Insert *creepy man here* Spice for a character.**

 **Anyway, that is enough for this AN, it's time for the prologue!**

"Talking"

' _Thinking'_

" _Voice and Phone Calls"_

" **ATTACK MOVE"**

" **Masked/Distorted Voice"**

 **Disclaimer: I own nadanadanada.**

* * *

Prologue – The Nightmare

* * *

Running.

That is what Haruyuki is currently doing, running away from the ever encroaching darkness and laughs that taunt him.

He runs past broken buildings, empty playgrounds, and silent streets, his legs protesting from the abuse Haruyuki is putting them through.

Turning around a corner Haruyuki ran down the empty alleyway, as he was halfway to the other side he looked back and saw the darkness and the shadows of people with eerie white smiles laughing at him. He faced forwards and kept on running.

After running for a while, he made a wrong turn, and was now stuck at a dead end. He turned, only to see and feel that he got punched in the face by a shadow, he swiped back, but only hit nothing as he got kicked to the ground.

He felt blows, and heard condemning laughter around him, insulting him, humiliating him, degrading him.

' _Must… Adapt...'_ Haruyuki feebly raised his arms to shield himself from the blows, but he couldn't stop the pain. If anything, the shadows blows became heavier, harder, and even more painful.

' _Must… Evolve...'_ He knows that this is a nightmare, but still a dream as such he tries to change it.

' _Must Adapt… Must Evolve…'_ He chanted these words as if they were a lifeline for his sanity.

' _Body… Weak… Must Change...'_ Haruyuki's thoughts were barely coherent as he felt his vision weakening.

' _Adapt… and… Evolve...'_ Were his last words as a slimy darkness overtook his senses.

* * *

\- Break -

* * *

Immediately sitting upright, Haruyuki gasps. Cold sweat dripping down his forehead as he looks around his room filled with posters of various RTS games he plays. He sat against the headboard and placed his head in his hands, panting hard. _'A nightmare?'_ He thought.

He shook his head. _'I shouldn't let it get to me. It's only one, it won't happen again.'_ Haruyuki mentally told himself and prepared to go back to sleep, but he decided not to and just got up from bed, his bare feet touching the cold wood floor.

Still sitting on the edge of the bed, he turned his head to look at the clock, with the neuro linker beside it. "01:23 AM huh?" He sighed and stood up with a grunt, slouching over. _'Meh, I'll just get some milk to drink then I'll go back to sleep.'_ Haru thought to himself with a tired sigh as he walked out of his room and into a hallway.

Haruyuki didn't turn on the lights as he didn't want to murder his eyes this early yet and walked carefully to the fridge. Slouching over more and opening it, Haru squinted his eyes as the inner fridge light shined at him making him curse slightly.

"Alright… meat, meat, veg, fruit, fruit, yogurt, juice, leftovers, milk, meat, veg, Ah! Milk." He finished his strange calling chant and reached in for the carton of milk, he remembered it was still open and decided to just drink directly from the carton. He knew it wasn't right but screw it, he's still tired.

After actually finishing the carton of milk, Haru wiped his mouth and gave a loud tired yawn.

 _ADAPT_

Haru almost dropped the carton in his hands from the random thought that went through his mind. He waited for another surprise but couldn't feel anything, he turned around, closed the fridge, and threw the empty carton into the trash can.

' _Well. Time for bed again.'_ He thought to himself as he walked slowly back to his room and got back into the blankets and stared up at the ceiling. He wondered to himself what was that nightmare about anyway, he wasn't bullied at all really.

His grades were good, not excellent but he was perfectly fine with that. He ignored the first bullies so they tried to find other targets. He trained himself in some hand to hand arts so no physical aggressors could push him around. So he thought to himself… _'What was all that about?'_

 _EVOLVE_

Haruyuki heard the other word, he remembered it along with the word adapt from the nightmare he had. But decided not to dwell on it right now and went back to sleep.

* * *

\- The next day -

* * *

Stretching his thin arms out, Haru opened his mouth wide yawning with tears in his eyes. New day, and its time for school, oh what a joyous day.

Slumping forward, Haru almost rolled off the bed and sat up before getting off the bed. He turned his head and sleepily took the neuro linker before attaching it to his nape and neck before getting up and slowly and tiredly made his way to the door.

Haru swiped his fingers in the air in front of him, he saw the HUD appear and the schedule for the day come up to the right of his vision, and the time and date appearing on the top left of his vision, thankfully his eyes could still roam and be able to look at the information more clearly.

Yawning again, Haru blinked the sleep and tiredness from his eyes a bit and squinted to look at the bright and pink e-mail envelope now in the center of his vision. It was an unnaturally bright shade of pink with there being some cat ears and a chibi Chi-chan on it. _'Chi-chan, it's to early for this.'_ He sighed with a small smile before pointing his finger as if to click it.

A green circle… well, circles around the mail before a green dot pokes it into existence which made the e-mail open up, showing it was in fact a voice-call.

" _Ohayouuuu~ Haru-chan!"_ Chiyuri's voice was loud and just as vibrant as the invite. Chiyuri Kurashima, a childhood friend of his and another. Hyperactive, and can be sometimes annoying, but she means well.

"Chi-chan, please. Not so loud, I just woke up." Haruyuki said as he began to take off his clothes for going to the bath tub.

" _Sorry~, anyway! Wanna walk to school with me and Taku-kun?"_ Despite knowing she couldn't see it, Haru shook his head.

"No thank you, I'll be a little late. You know I take my time. Also, need I remind you that you two still have to use the train to get to school? I only have to walk?" He could almost feel her cringe at the reminder.

" _Aaaaaaahhhh… Well, sorry. I kind of forgot, it's just that we used to walk together before. You know? Back then, and we still do! It's just that we have to go earlier so we can reach you first before we walk to school."_ Haruyuki could feel her sigh through the voice call and giggled at that as he walked by the full body mirror in his bathroom.

He turned on the faucet and walked back a few steps before turning to the mirror with a glaring pout. He didn't like that his body grew and aged to be like this. He was a guy damn it!

Haru drowned out Chiyuri's rambling as he looked himself in the mirror. 5'2" height, thin body, slightly wider hips than normal, soft hands and feet, a slightly rounded face with a button nose, cute lips, and black doe eyes, and brown hair that curled at the tips which reached above his shoulders.

" _Haru! Are you even listening?"_ He snapped out of his lamenting annoyance with a shake of his head and quickly turned off the faucet as the bath tub was almost full.

"Sorry about that, I was… busy." Haru, to his embarrassment heard Chiyuri giggle.

" _Are you sulking that you still look like a girl?"_ The teasing tone made him flinch with a choke. Making her laugh into the voice call. _"Come ooooon! It isn't that bad! You look adorable at least!"_ Her words a playful teasing, made him blush red as he sunk into the water.

" _Oh wait! Let me get Taku-kun on the call!"_ Her words made him close his eyes in grim acceptance.

-Dun din- _"Hello?"_ A male voice called out. Haruyuki sighed with a small but embarrassed smile at Chiyu's antics.

"Good morning Takumi-kun." Haru greeted.

" _Ohaaaayoooouuu~ Taku-kun!"_ Chiyu also greeted.

" _Morning Chi-chan, Haru-kun. How are you two today?"_ Takumi Mayuzumi, also childhood friend of his. The other childhood friend of Chi-chan and is actually dating her.

He began to wash his arms with soap. "Not much, currently in the bath. What about you?" Haruyuki nonchalantly said.

Chiyuri, being the little troll she is. _"Well, I bet you want take Haru-chan in the bath don't you Taku-kun?~"_ Her words made Takumi choke into the call as I sighed at her antics. You would think Takumi would know better than to respond to her quips.

" _Anyway, I'm just eating a sandwich then I'm going! I'll be on the train in a bit and I'll wait at Haru-chan's place!"_ Her words prompted a more coherent response from Takumi.

" _Ahem, yes well. I was thinking of the same thing, I'm just going to finish up my stuff here, grab my lunch and head on over to the train. I will also wait at Haru-kun's flat if that's not a problem with you?"_ He finished his sentence with a question.

Sighing, Haruyuki shook his head ruefully. Some things never change with those two. "It's fine, I'll take a bit longer though, so if you two are willing to be a little late, you guys can come in. I gave you spare keys to my place for a reason." He could hear the cheering laugh from Chiyu, and the call of thanks from Takumi before they bade him farewell and shut off the voice call.

With the voice call finished, Haru rinsed his hand and took the neuro linker off and set it on the side before going back to his bathing.

* * *

\- A few hours later -

* * *

Haruyuki dressed in only a large dress shirt that reached his thighs as he was feeling a bit lazy, though he knew Chi-chan would try something and wore some short boxers underneath.

He stood in front of the stove cooking himself a quick batch of bacon and sunnyside eggs as a way to pass the time. A few minutes later, his breakfast was done and he took some rice into the bowl, put the eggs on top with the bacon on a different plate.

Haru headed over to the small table and set his bowl on the kotatsu with a glass of water and clasped his hands together. "Itadakimasu." He chanted with closed eyes before opening them and clicked his chopsticks with a smile before popping the yolk of the egg, turning some of the rice yellow.

As soon as that happened though, the door was knocked on and Haruyuki knew that was the two at the door. "Come in!" He was correct as the lock on the door turned and it opened to reveal his two childhood friends walking in.

"Heyo Haru-chan!" Chiyuri called out with a smile and bounded over to the kotatsu as Takumi shook his head and closed the door. "Hello Haru-kun. Just started?" Haru nodded as he took a bite of the egg juiced rice.

Gulping the chewed food down, Haru turned to look at Chiyuri. Who was looking at the bacon plate with a drooling glare. Sighing, Haru waved his hand for her to go ahead and she beamed at him giving him a close hug that invaded his personal space before she treated herself to two pieces of bacon.

Takumi sat with them in the kotatsu, the three let their legs feel the nice warmth. Takumi leaned an elbow onto the table, swiping at the air signifying he was looking at something. Chiyuri was nibbling on the bacon she got, and Haruyuki just kept on his meal.

A new day, but it was a normal one.

Little did he know, that would change.

* * *

Prologue – The Nightmare End

* * *

 **Heyo guys!**

 **Bet you weren't expecting me to change Haruyuki in such a way huh?!**

 **Well, I'm going to keep this AN short as I don't really know what to say.**

 **Did the "nightmare" give you any hints to what his character could be? Did this prologue make your brain find the answer quickly?**

 **If you did figure out the answer, bravo to yous. Here's a cookie.**

 **Anyway, that's enough for now! See ya guys! This is The Oblivion Overlord signing out!**


End file.
